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Central Jersey Daily Rundown, Tuesday, Feb. 13

Shimon Peretz, general manager, Applebee’s of Clark; Col. Ted Silvester, United States Marine Corps (Ret.) and vice president of marketing and development, Toys for Tots; and Staff Sgt. Stacey Van Liera, United States Marine Corps participate in the check presentation.(Photo: ~Courtesy of Doherty Enterprises)

Applebee's: $113K to Toys for Tots

An Applebee’s Neighborhood Grill & Bar representative presented a check for $113,273 to the U.S. Marines Corps in support of its Toys for Tots program. The funds were raised during Applebee’s annual Breakfast with Santa events in New Jersey, Long Island, Florida and Georgia, and 100 percent of the proceeds benefited underprivileged children in local communities during the holiday season. Over the past 19 years, Applebee’s locations owned and operated by Doherty Enterprises in New Jersey, Long Island, Florida and Georgia — which donated a combined total of $244,647 as a result of its 2017 Breakfast with Santa fundraiser — have raised more than $4.1 million for the Toys for Tots initiative, helping to spread holiday cheer to more than 230,000 children. Applebee’s has locations in Bridgewater, Clark, Edison, Flemington, Garfield, Hillsborough, Linden, Milltown, Piscataway, Union, and Woodbridge. Visit www.applebees.com.

Plainfield State of City Address slated

The Plainfield State of the City Address will take place Thursday, Feb. 15, at 7 p.m. at Washington Community School, 427 Darrow Ave. Mayor Adrian Mapp will share the highlights of what was accomplished in 2017 and lay out a plan and vision for building on Plainfield’s successes. There will also feature a special presentation of the results of the Vision 2025 Initiative, the first comprehensive and community-led strategic planning initiative in decades. Visit www.plainfieldnj.gov.

$1G grants for fire departments

New Jersey fire departments are invited to apply for a special grant from the New Jersey Fire Sprinkler Advisory Board (NJFSAB) to help promote fire safety in their communities. The NJFSAB grants provide up to $1,000 directly to fire departments to help fund the construction of a side-by-side burn demonstration, which shows the effectiveness of fire sprinkler systems. Deadline for applications is Monday, Oct. 1. To view a video of a side-by-side burn visit https://youtu.be/Ua2fqQY-AxQ. To view photos, visit https://njfsab.org/side-by-side-grant-photos. To apply, fill out the form at www.SaveAndProtect.Org or call 866-226-6006.

Visiting rain forests in Panama

Sixth-grade students at Hillside School in Bridgewater will have the opportunity to take a virtual field trip to the rain forests of Panama without leaving their classroom. On Wednesday, Feb. 14, and Thursday, Feb. 15, sixth-grade classes will talk with Hillside teacher Dr. Katrina Macht on Barro Colorado Island (BCI). The island is a field station operated by the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute. During the 40-minute interactive video broadcasts. students will be able to converse with Macht, as well as guest scientists and science educators. Running throughout February, the Rainforest Connection Live! videoconference sessions, presented in English and Spanish, will involve classes in schools throughout New Jersey. Each session will address a major theme in ecology, with topics that include predator-prey relationships, decomposition, the role of invertebrates in a forest system, and monkey adaptations. The sessions with Hillside’s sixth-graders will emphasize interdependent relationships in tropical forest food webs and how scientists study them. Macht is in Panama to host the first week of the month-long broadcasts.

$1.6M to support NJ housing programs

U.S. Sens. Bob Menendez and Cory Booker on Monday announced the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) awarding of a combined $1,672,349 in Resident Opportunities and Self-Sufficiency (ROSS) Service Coordinator grants to assist New Jersey housing agencies and nonprofit organizations. The following organizations were awarded grants: Jersey City Housing Authority, $492,000; Paterson Housing Authority, $442,349; Phillipsburg Housing Authority, $246,000; Rahway Housing Authority, $246,000; and New Jersey Institute for Disabilities (Edison), $246,000. The ROSS-SC program provides funding to hire Service Coordinators to coordinate supportive services and other activities designed to help public and Indian Housing residents achieve economic and housing self-sufficiency by providing grants to the Public Housing Assessment System, tribal housing, Rental Accommodation Scheme, and nonprofit organizations.

Apply for Civilian Police Academy

The North Brunswick Township Police Department will be hosting its Civilian Police Academy once per week, on Wednesday evenings from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. Classes are tentatively scheduled to begin March 14 and conclude May 16. Accepted applicants will work alongside North Brunswick first responders to gain insight into how the various departments work. Anyone interested in participating must complete an application, be over 21 and may be subject to a background investigation. Seating is limited. Priority will be given to North Brunswick residents and those persons that work in the township. Anyone with any questions should call 732-247-0922, ext. 331. Applications are available at www.northbrunswicknj.gov. Completed applications can be emailed to JStrzy@NorthBrunswickNJ.gov, or mailed/dropped off to the police department at 710 Hermann Road, Attn: Detective Bureau-CPA. A fillable PDF version is available upon email request. Applications should be turned in as soon as possible, but no later than March 1.

Feeling Valentine’s love at SAGE

Love was in the air at SAGE Eldercare in Summit on Feb. 8, when clients from the Spend-A-Day program danced and celebrated Valentine’s Day to tunes sung by entertainer James Barba of Westfield. Barba sang a mix of love songs and favorite dance numbers by Elvis Presley and Frank Sinatra. For more info on SAGE, call 908-273-5550 or visit www.sageeldercare.org.

Tickets for 'Beauty and The Beast'

Tickets are on sale for performances of "Beauty and The Beast." Performances are Thursday, Friday and Saturday, March 1, 2, and 3 at 8 p.m. in the North Brunswick Township High School auditorium. A matinee with reduced prices will be staged at 2 p.m. Saturday, March 3. The total cast, crew and orchestra include nearly 85 area residents from North Brunswick and surrounding communities. Ticket prices for the March 1, 2 and 3 evening performances are $18 for adults and $15 for children 12 and under and senior citizens; $15 and $10 for the Saturday, March 3 matinee. Tickets may be purchased in advance from cast members at the North Brunswick Municipal Building, 710 Hermann Road, between 8:30 a.m. and 4 p.m. or at the door on performance nights. Call 732-247-0922, ext. 475, or visit northbrunswicknj.gov/beauty-and-the-beast.

Rutgers police seek feedback

The Rutgers Police Department is seeking feedback on the services it provides. At the conclusion of the survey, participants will be given an opportunity to provide contact information to enter into a drawing where four participants will be randomly selected to receive a $50 gift card to either Kite+Key or Barnes & Noble. Participation in the drawing is optional. To complete the five-question survey, visitwww.surveymonkey.com/r/2018RUPDCommunitySurvey.

Clinton Township police blotter

Jonathon Rivera, 25, of Trenton, was arrested Feb. 8 in Clinton Township and charged with third-degree possession of heroin with intent to distribute. Rivera was allegedly in possession of 150 bags of heroin at the time of his arrest. He was lodged in the Somerset County Jail pending his first court appearance.

The Y is offering the 2nd Grade Learn to Swim Program this spring at the Deer Path Branch pool in Flemington, free of charge to families in Hunterdon County.(Photo: ~Courtesy of Hunterdon County YMCA)

Free swim lessons for 2nd-graders

The Hunterdon County YMCA is offering the 2nd Grade Learn to Swim Program at the Deer Path Branch pool in Flemington, free to families in Hunterdon County. The program offers children lessons in swimming skills and water safety. It provides one free seven-week session of swim lessons to any second-grader in Hunterdon County who is a non-swimmer or beginner swimmer. YMCA membership is not required. Classes run Feb. 26 to April 15. Register at the Deer Path or Round Valley Branch of the Y, or www.hcymca.org. Proof of grade is required. For more info, call 908-782-1030 or visit www.hcymca.org.